THE BEER NUT: Redemption Rock to become Worcester's 5th brewery

Tuesday

Sep 4, 2018 at 4:35 PMSep 5, 2018 at 9:16 AM

Redemption Rock Brewing Company is coming to Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, offering up both beer and locally roasted coffee.

WORCESTER – Seeking to create a space that is comfortable and welcoming for all and offering beer and coffee for various tastes, Redemption Rock Brewing Company plans to open for business by the end of the year.

The 333 Shrewsbury St. brewery will be Worcester's fifth. It's named for a granite ledge in Princeton where Mary Rowlandson, who was captured and held by Indians during King Philip's War, was released in 1676.

“Worcester was always the first choice,” said CEO Dani Babineau, 31. “When we first decided to open a brewery, only Wormtown (another brewery on Shrewsbury Street) was here. We saw it as a great opportunity.”

Redemption Rock has been the worst-kept secret in the city's brewing industry, with people talking about them coming to the city for several years. But it's been a slow build. Babineau, along with her boyfriend/head brewer Greg Carlson, his twin and head of marketing Dan Carlson and the taproom general manager Kevin Kirkness, have been working to open Redemption Rock for several years.

Babineau earned an MBA from Babson College in Wellesley in 2015, and during her time there built a business plan for the brewery. Then the search was on for the perfect location. The group settled on a 6,000-square-foot space in the former Coca-Cola building on Shrewsbury Street.

The goal is to give the brewery a café-style feel, Babineau said. There will be couches and café-style seating. Along with beer, they plan to offer coffee from different local roasteries.

Along with the café feel, they plan to create an “indoor patio” that will have fake turf and an outdoor feel, along with a large mural created by local artist Marka27.

“One of the reasons we wanted to do a taproom is because what we enjoy, other than the beer itself, is hanging around and meeting beer people,” said Babineau. “We want to make a place where people want to come and spend time at.”

The brewery plan to open with four to six beers, including a kolsh, a hefeweizen, a stout and an American IPA, but they hope to eventually get up to 12 beers on tap. They also plan to have a rotating IPA series, seasonals and one-off beers. Dan Carlson said there will be a wide variety, and wants to have a beer for everyone who comes in.

“The things that matter to us are quality and variety,” he said. “IPAs are great, but there are so many other beers. Brewers always say they want to brew the beers they like to drink, for us ..."

"... that’s everything,” Babineau said, completing his sentence.

The brewery will offer locally sourced cheese and meats, and will have beer to-go in the form of 32-ounce cans. They hope to eventually add regular canning to their lineup, as well as keg distribution.

Babineau and Carlson hope to be open by the end of the year or beginning of 2019. They plan on being open Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Redemption Rock is also unique in that it’s the first brewery registered in Massachusetts as a "benefit corporation," a hybrid type of business that combines characteristics of for-profit and nonprofit corporations.

According to the Massachusetts Secretary of State's Office, "While directors and officers of traditional for-profit corporations must focus primarily on maximizing financial returns to investors, the directors and officers of benefit corporations are expressly permitted to consider and prioritize the social and environmental impacts of their corporate decision-making." The business must go through a certification process to maintain its status as a benefit corporation.

“We want to be a positive part of the community,” said Babineau. “We want to be a good corporate neighbor and work with the community and help local nonprofits. We’re passionate about it and this shows we’re dedicated to doing it.”

Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or nmiller@wickedlocal.com. For beer news and info, follow Norman Miller on Twitter and Instagram @RealBeerNut or on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerBeerNut.